backpacker92108 wrote:I would like to get into the Pioneer Basin and 4th Recess areas someday, too. Have you been into those areas? How is the camping and fishing? Any peak bagging from there? Looks like an awesome area to visit.

Haven't been to either of those places. Others here have, however, so you'll probably hear from them, although they may miss it on this thread, owing to the fact this thread started as a "day hike options" thread and 4th Recess and Pioneer Basin are dayhike targets only for the most Muirish among us. The reports I've received about Pioneer Basin over the years suggest that most (all?) of the lakes there contain small fish; mostly brookies. The beta DFG guide lists a couple of the uppermost lakes as goldens only, and they are south-facing lakes, so they may have some decent sized fish, unless the spawning is too good (leading to too many fish regardless of the food supply). There are certain an array of peaks to be had, although both destinations tend to put one on the opposite side of some of the peaks from the easiest routes. This is true of Hopkins, Crocker, and Stanford out of Pioneer and 4th Recess is a fairly difficult place to launch peak bagging jaunts at the higher peaks (the best ones at the headwaters of the drainage are best attacked from the south instead).

Pioneer Basin is too far for a day hike *and* peak bagging as you have to cross an exposed pass to get into them so if weather craps-out or there is a proplonged thunderstorm you could be benighted. Okay maybe if you are the kind of person who can do say, east ridge Russell in a day, or one of the Whitney routes in a day car-to-car, it would be doable to hike in so some peak bagging and get out by dark. Much better to do them as an overnighter because IMHO what makes these places special are the wonderful hidden gardens, tarns, etc. as the peaks are okay, nothing worth going out of your way for (Bear Cr. Spire is a much better target for peak bagging). 4th Recess is more crowded than Pioneer, but you will see folks in both for sure. I've scrambled all the peaks around Pioneer- not hard at all but some big loose stuff right at the top. The peaks are nothing special. Nice place to wander around in though. Just my two-cents.

Thanks to both of you for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. Yes, I would definitely backpack into Pioneer Basin (over Mono Pass), not day hike. I am not a big peak bagger type actually, but it is nice to know what is possible in the area. I am more into doing moderate day hiking after backpacking in and set up with a base camp, so I would probably be exploring the different lakes, recesses, canyons, etc. and enjoying the beauty to be seen. I do like to move each day with the backpack, too. Just depends on the trip and the plans.

Living down in San Diego and working full time makes it difficult to get up to the Sierra a lot, but I have done a number of backpack and camping trips over the years. I was lucky to work a season each at Yosemite NP and Sequoia NF, too, so those were great experiences.